


An Hour Past Midnight

by fenzi



Series: Blending In [2]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-04-25 07:55:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14374326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fenzi/pseuds/fenzi
Summary: Olivia and Rafael don't hide the fact that he sleeps over some nights from their kids.  They just don't exactly tell them either.  If they wait until Marisa is visiting friends or Lucia, that's just more convenient for all four of them.  If Rafa leaves before Noah wakes up, it's just an easy way to avoid the morning rush.So when Rafael's daughter calls Liv an hour past midnight begging to get picked up from a party she wasn't supposed to be at, there's no reason that sheneedsto know that Rafa's lying beside Liv in the bed.  After all, Rafa and Liv aren't the ones who have been sneaking around.(This is mostly fluff.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is set a few months after [Blending In](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14050779). Barba's daughter is now living with him in New York.

The soft buzz of Olivia’s phone on the nightstand woke her, and she checked the clock before moving. It wasn’t too unusual to get a work call at one in the morning, but it was particularly unwelcome on one of the few nights that she and Rafa got to spend together. He was a few inches away from her, and she could still feel the imprint of his body on hers. They were supposed to have a few more hours together before he left, and she didn’t want to lose them, even if they’d both have been sleeping in the interim. She tried not to wake him as she grabbed the phone.

“Benson.”

“Liv?” Rafael’s daughter’s shaky voice jolted Olivia fully into consciousness. She sat up, disturbing Rafa, who shifted around and blinked sleepily at her. She held up a hand to silence him. Heavy music and conversations also filtered through the call, and Liv was worried at the uneven timbre of Marisa’s voice.

“Marisa, what’s the matter?” 

Rafael was suddenly awake, too, motioning for Liv to hand him the phone. She shook her head and indicated the two of them in bed together. While it wasn’t exactly a secret that Rafael spent the night at Liv’s, it wasn’t something that they were exactly open about with their children, reserving it for when Marisa was sleeping over with friends or at Lucia’s apartment, with Rafa heading out before Noah woke. Giving Rafa the phone might bring up more questions than they were prepared to answer, and Liv didn’t want to have that conversation until they knew what was going on with his daughter.

“If I ask you something, will you promise not to call my dad?” Marisa asked, and Rafael’s eyes went comically wide.

“Sweetheart, that’s not a promise I can make. I can promise to help you if you tell me what’s going on.”

“I mean don’t call him right away. I just want you to come pick me up first. I don’t want him to freak out.”

Rafael looked almost offended, and Liv gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she got out of bed. He got up behind her, keeping close enough that he could hear his daughter’s voice through the phone. “Of course I’ll come pick you up. Are you safe where you are right now?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know anybody here, and Katie ditched me. I just really want you to come get me.” Her voice was tight, as if she was trying not to cry, and Liv shot a worried look back to Rafa.

“Okay, I’m coming to get you. Just tell me where you are.”

“I don’t know. It’s just some guy’s house. I thought you could do that cop thing where you track my phone.”

Liv rummaged around to find a pen and pulled an old envelope from the wastebasket. “I don’t understand, honey. Is your maps app not working?”

“Oh, yeah.” She waited for Marisa to find the address on her phone, then jotted it down on the envelope in front of her. She held it up for Rafa to see.

“Okay, I need five minutes to get dressed, and then I’m coming to get you. I’ll call you from the car.”

They said their goodbyes, and Liv set down her phone so that she could get a sweatshirt over her head.

“Why didn’t she call me?” Rafa asked.

“I don’t know. I guess she thought I could track her phone.” Olivia pulled on some jeans and stuck the phone in her back pocket.

“She _specifically_ asked you not to call me.”

Olivia grabbed her car keys. “Rafa, I don’t know. You can ask her when we get back.”

“I’m going with you.” He started to get dressed, but Liv shook her head.

“I need you to stay here with Noah.”

Rafa opened his mouth to argue, but there wasn’t much to say. He didn’t drive, and the wait for an Uber or Lyft late on a Friday night would be a nightmare. “She was supposed to be staying with her friend Katie, not at ‘some guy’s house’ on the other side of the city.”

Liv found her shoes and slipped them on. “I know.”

“How did she get there?” Rafa had pulled on the last of his clothes, and Olivia knew that he wasn’t getting any sleep until his daughter was back in front of him. She took his face in her hands.

“I will call you as soon as I have her.”

* * *

It took Liv over half an hour to get to the house, the bulk of which was spent on the phone with Marisa. In the meantime, she got most of the backstory. Apparently, Marisa _had_ gone over to Katie’s house planning to spend the night, which was somewhat of a relief. Things had gone south when Katie had been invited to a house party, and her mother’s permission to go had been contingent on taking a friend. The rest of the situation was muddled, something about a boy named Jason who “wasn’t even that hot” but Katie had liked since middle school. The bottom line was that Marisa had been pressured to do something she didn’t want to do, and she hadn’t known how to stand up for herself.

That or she was lying.

She found parking half a block from the address and let Marisa know she’d arrived. It wasn’t difficult to find the party itself, the one house with a faint base thumping from inside, and a group of kids smoking by the porch. Marisa hurried out just as Liv was approaching the walkway, and Liv was struck by how small she looked as she passed by the older teens. She was wearing an unfamiliar dress that didn’t fit quite right, and as she approached, Liv saw how her heavy eye makeup had smudged all the way down to her cheekbones. Aware of their potential audience, Liv waited on the sidewalk, sending a quick text to Rafa. Marisa didn’t seem to have the same reservations, as she threw her arms around Liv’s waist as soon as she reached her.

“Thanks for coming to get me. I’m really sorry,” she said into Liv’s shoulder.

Liv rubbed her back in turn. “I’m glad you called me. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just want to go.” Marisa let go of Liv and wiped at the mess underneath her eyes. They started back down the sidewalk.

“What about Katie? Is she still in there?”

“I don’t know. She ditched me.” They arrived at the car, and Marisa stood by the passenger door, waiting for Liv to unlock it. “She said it was her chance with Jason. I don’t even understand why she likes him.”

“Honey, we can’t just leave your friend here. You were supposed to be watching out for each other.”

“But she’s the one who left! I texted her and called her and messaged her a million times.”

“That might mean she’s in trouble.” Marisa’s head dropped, and a few strands of hair fell over her face. Liv combed them back with her fingers. “I need to ask you a couple questions about the party, okay?”

She chewed on her bottom lip before reluctantly nodding.

“Are kids drinking in there?”

Marisa hesitated, looking over to the side, then nodded shortly.

“Were _you_ drinking?” When she got a quick shake of the head in response, she pressed on. “So if I were to give you a breathalyzer test right now, you’d blow a zero?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled. “I just had a Pepsi.”

“Out of a cup or a can?”

“A can. I opened it myself.”

“Okay, that was smart.” She pulled Marisa into her, kissing the top of her head, simultaneously relieved and disillusioned at the girl knowing enough to keep someone from drugging her drink. When she let go, Marisa face had opened up to her, more receptive to the rest of the conversation. “Drugs?”

“People were smoking, but I don’t know if it was cigarettes or weed or whatever.” She apparently took Liv’s confusion that she couldn’t tell the difference between cigarettes and weed as suspicion, because she quickly added, “You can drug test me.”

“I’m not going to drug test you, honey.” She looked back toward the house, knowing she was going to have to go inside, and considering how to best get to Marisa’s friend without turning the house upside down. “And I’m guessing there are no adults.”

“I think some of the seniors are eighteen.”

“That’s no adults,” she muttered to herself. “Okay, I’m going to need a picture of your friend.”


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia left Marisa in the locked car and started back toward the house. She quickly called Rafael and filled him in, fending off the questions that he had and reassuring him that they’d be back as soon as possible.

She swept past the smokers on the porch and rapped on the door. Within a few seconds, it swung open, revealing a laughing teenager holding a half empty plastic cup. She peered past him into the house, where she saw several other teens playing videos games, a few awkward attempts at dancing, and a couple making out in a corner. There was no sign of Katie. 

The kid who opened the door sobered when he saw her face.

“Oh, sorry, we’ll turn it down.” He shouted back into the house, “Gabe! Turn down the music!”

“I’m not here about the music. I’m looking for Katie Dankowski.”

“What, are you her mom or something?” he asked, then startled as a much more inebriated friend stepped in front of him.

“This is a private party,” he snickered at Olivia. “We’re going to have to ask you to leave.” 

“Let’s try again.” She flashed her badge, and the drunk kid practically fell over himself in amazement.

“Dude, we just got busted by the cops?!” He ran back to share the good news while his friend, the apparent host, swore under his breath.

He set his cup down uneasily on a side table. “I think Katie’s upstairs with Jason.”

“Do you live here?” she asked him, and he nodded. “Okay, I’m going upstairs, and when I come back down, all of this,” she indicated the party with a quick circle of her finger, “needs to be over. No music, no video games, no drinking. I suggest you and your friends start pouring the alcohol down the drain, _now_.”

“Yeah, okay,” he nodded, petrified, and Liv took off up the stairs. 

She was almost to the landing when the music turned off, and she could pick out a conversation coming through one of the doors.

“-been making out forever. You can’t get me all riled up and not follow through.”

“Wait, stop. What happened to the music?”

Liv reached the door, but it was locked shut, an interior lock with a small slit for a screwdriver rather than an actual key. She fished around in her pocket for something she could use to unlock it.

“C’mon, I know you like me. You wouldn’t be up here if you didn’t want it.”

Liv pulled out a quarter, and twisted it in the slot, then pushed open the door. She saw Katie, pressed up against the headboard, with her head turned to the side, vaguely pushing on a boy’s chest as he sucked on her neck. Liv could only assume it was Jason. They were both fully clothed, save their shoes, though Jason was doing his best to get underneath Katie’s dress with the hand that wasn’t in her hair. He didn’t look up as he spoke, “It’s occupied!”

“Party’s over.”

At the sound of her voice, Jason’s head whipped around, and he scrambled back to the foot of the bed as she held up her badge. “We were just-”

“Stop.” Liv held up her palms in warning, and Jason went silent. “Oh, so you _do_ know what that word means.”

The blood drained from Jason’s face. “I wasn’t forcing her. We were just making out.”

“You have any ID?”

He opened his wallet and fished out a green student ID. By the time he handed it to her, there were tears welling in his eyes, and Katie was crying on the other side of the bed. Liv took a picture of his ID with her phone. Jason Connell. Grade 10.

“Give me your cell phone.”

He handed it over, fingers trembling, and Liv scrolled through the recent contacts until she found one she was looking for. She tapped to start the call and turned on the speaker. “You can explain to your mom what happened tonight.”

Jason looked as if he might prefer being arrested, but he followed through on the awkward conversation, pausing to look to Liv for permission before ending the call.

“Go home,” Liv ordered him, and he rushed out before she could change her mind.

Realizing that she was next, Katie wiped the tears from her face. “I don’t have any ID.”

“I know who you are, Katie. I’m a friend of Izzy’s dad. Give me your phone.”

Katie did so, and Liv thumbed through the recent calls. Seven missed calls from Marisa and five from Katie’s mother. The unread texts told the same story. Liv handed the phone back. “Call your mom, tell her what happened, and that I’m taking you home. Then I need to talk to her, too.”

The conversation between Katie and her mother confirmed everything that Marisa had told Liv on the phone, with the added information that the girls were told to be back by 12:30. She took the phone when Katie was done and quickly introduced herself to the girl’s mother, who spent spent most of the call alternately apologizing and thanking Liv for bringing her daughter back.

After Katie had collected her things, the two walked back down through the newly deserted house. “Where’s Izzy?”

“She’s in the car.” Liv ushered Katie through the front door and shut it behind them, checking to make sure that it locked automatically. “You know, you and Marisa - you and Izzy - you were supposed to be looking out for each other. She was really scared.”

“I know. I don’t know why I was so stupid.”

Liv tried to catch a glimpse of her expression in the darkness. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I just thought it would go different. Now my mom’s going to kill me.”

The reached the car, and Marisa unlocked the door and got out, folding the seat down for access to the back.

“Everyone left. Did you bust the party?” she asked Liv.

“Yeah, I did.” Marisa didn’t have much of a reaction to the news, just waited for Katie to get in back, then moved the seat back into place. Liv frowned. “Don’t you want to ride in back with your friend?”

Marisa clearly didn’t, but she climbed in back regardless. Liv shut the passenger side door, only to hear Marisa’s voice leak through.

“I can’t believe you ditched me for douchebag Jason Connell.”

Apparently the girls thought the car was a lot more soundproof than it actually was. Liv ignored their conversation as she walked around the car.

“Sorry, it was dumb. Anyway, he was kind of a dick.”

“I told you he was!”

“I can’t believe your dad sent a cop after us. She made Jason cry.”

“Good.”

* * *

By the time they’d dropped Katie off, it was already past three and even the Manhattan streets were fairly empty. Liv just wanted to get back before last call released more drunks on the streets. 

“Thanks for not telling Katie I called you.” Marisa said as she buckled up. She had changed back into her own clothes, jeans and a hoodie. She still hadn’t managed to get the makeup off her face, but at least she’d left a bit of the night behind her. Fiddling with the drawstrings of the hoodie, she kicked her bag further into the footwell. “Can I just stay at your apartment, and we can call my dad in the morning?”

“Your dad’s already there watching Noah.”

Marisa sat forward at the news, outrage at Liv’s betrayal of her secret painted clearly in her expression and posture, until something clicked and she slumped back down, defeated. “I forgot about Noah. Sorry.”

“I would have had to tell him, anyway, sweetheart. He’s your dad.” She took a hand from the wheel to quickly brush it over Marisa’s hair.

“I know,” Marisa sighed, staring at the storefronts sliding past her window. Suddenly she turned back to Liv, brow furrowed. “Wait, how did he get there so fast?”

Liv froze. There was no plausible explanation for how Rafael could have gotten to her apartment in five minutes, and even if there were, Liv didn’t want to lie. She considered her options. Obfuscation would make it sound like she had something to hide, but she didn’t feel comfortable disclosing anything without talking to Rafa first. “Let’s wait until-”

“Was he already there when I called you?!” Marisa looked more confused than shocked at the discovery. “Why didn’t you tell me? Could he hear me on the phone?”

“Honey, this is a conversation your dad needs to be part of. We’re almost back, and we can talk about it then.”

“Okay.” Marisa settled back into her seat, and Liv breathed a sigh of relief. It lasted for about thirty seconds before Marisa bolted back up. “Wait, you were asleep when I called you. You said you had to get dressed.”

It wasn’t a question, so Liv didn’t answer it. She focused on the road and willed their destination to appear.

“Oh, my God. Was my dad secretly spending the night with you?!”

Olivia’s face flushed, and she imbued her voice with all the authority she could muster. “Marisa, we _cannot_ have this conversation without your father.”

“Oh, my God. My dad was secretly spending the night with you.”

Liv tightened her hands on the wheel and cursed herself for not letting Rafael pick up his own daughter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little more. My head is now in this Rollins/Carisi thing that I want to write, so it's been hard for me to focus on this, but I won't drop it, for sure.

As they rode the elevator up to her floor, Olivia noticed Marisa’s anxiety rising with the elevation. Liv wasn’t feeling that much better. She’d texted Rafa about his daughter’s discovery and he’d been less than thrilled at the news.

“Do you think he’s still awake?” Marisa asked her as the elevator doors opened.

Liv almost laughed. “Yes, I am certain your father is still awake.”

They reached the apartment door, and Liv began to fiddle with the lock, but it clicked on its own, and the door swung open. Rafa took his daughter in his arms and held her tight.

“Risita.”

“Sorry, Papi,” she apologized into his tee shirt. She was clinging just as tightly to him, and her breaths were coming in short hitches again. He rubbed her back and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

After a few moments, he released his tight hold on her, but kept an arm around her shoulders to steer her to the couch. “Come on inside.”

Liv followed, closing the door behind them and trying to make her way discreetly to the back of the apartment.

“Wait, Liv, will you stay?” Marisa asked her. Olivia shot Rafa a questioning look, and when he didn’t object, she sat down in the armchair.

“Oh, mija, your face,” Rafa said as they settled on the couch and he finally got a good look at his daughter. He rubbed his thumb over the dark smears of makeup under Marisa’s eyes, and she scrubbed at them in turn. “What happened, sweetheart?”

“I already told Liv, can’t she just tell you?”

“I need to hear it from you, Risita.”

She tucked her knees under her chin and recounted everything again. Her story was consistent, both with her earlier version and with Katie’s, but Rafa managed to get a few more pertinent pieces of information out of her. Katie’s mother hadn’t asked for any details about the party, not even its location. Katie had her own Uber account, which they’d used to get to the party. Katie’s mother made sure that they had a key, since she usually fell asleep before her daughter came back.

“Okay,” Rafa started, shaking his head, and Liv knew that he was only wishing he could direct his censure at Katie’s mother instead. “When I give you permission to go somewhere, you have permission to be at _that specific place_ , not to use it as a base camp for further excursions.” 

Marisa shifted uncomfortably at the admonition, but didn’t respond. Rafa made a passable effort at waiting her out, then finally broke and asked the question that had been on his mind since she’d first contacted Liv: “Why didn’t you call me?”

“I don’t know.” She covered up her face in her hands and let out a miserable breath.

“Risita, you can always call me.” Rafa took her hands in his and pulled them gently from her face, and Liv saw the moment that his daughter realized that she’d hurt him.

“Lo siento.”

Rafael gathered her up in his arms, and she curled into it. He rubbed long strokes up and down her back. “¿Creías que estaría enojado contigo?”

“No enojado.”

“Then what was it?”

“I just thought that because Liv is a cop, she’d be better at the emergency part, and then you’d be better at the talking after it part, because you’re a lawyer.” Rafa met Liv’s gaze over the top of his daughter’s head and rolled his eyes. “I thought I could tell you after I got back, and then I wouldn’t already be scared if you freaked out. She’s just always so calm.”

He sighed. “Okay. I’m glad you called her, but you could have called me, too.”

“Sorry.” Marisa let him hold her for a while, then extricated herself from his arms and started to play with the sleeves of her hoodie. “Do you always sleep over here when I’m not at home?”

Rafa glanced toward Liv for advice, but she had nothing to give him. His face was slightly flushed, and he couldn’t look his daughter in the eye, but his voice was even when he spoke. “Sometimes I do, yes.”

“Is that why I’m not in trouble? Because you’re busted, too?” she asked, and Liv had to hold back a smile at Marisa’s characterization of the situation. Rafa seemed torn between amusement and irritation as he bit softly on his bottom lip.

“First of all, I never said you weren’t in trouble. Second, I didn’t get ‘busted’ because I didn’t do anything wrong.”

His daughter peered up at him skeptically. “Then why were you sneaking around?”

“Marisa, there are parts of my life that you don’t need to know about. That doesn’t mean that I’m sneaking around.”

“Does Abuelita know?”

Rafa opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He just sat with a disbelieving smile on his face until Liv stepped in to save him.

“Sweetheart, your dad and I don’t have any reason to talk about this with anyone. It’s not anyone else’s business.”

“It feels like you were sneaking around,” Marisa responded softly, head ducked down to stare at her lap.

Pulling himself himself together, Rafa made what Liv had come to think of his “closing argument” face and cupped his daughter’s chin, raising it until she finally looked up at him. “Liv and I are adults. There are some parts of our personal life that you’re a part of, and other parts that you’re not a part of. I expect you to respect our privacy.”

“Okay.”

“You are not an adult, and I need to know where you are. I know you got permission from Katie’s mother to go to that party, but you didn’t have _my_ permission, and I’m the one who decides where you’re allowed to be.” Marisa cast her eyes down, but Rafa leaned in until she looked back up at him. “You were smart to call an adult when you realized you were in over your head, mija, but next time, call _before_ you go to the party, ¿está claro?”

She nodded, and Rafael kissed her forehead, then grimaced as he again wiped at the mascara that had made its way down to her cheekbones.

“Let me help her with that,” Liv offered.

* * *

Liv perched on the edge of the tub and dabbed at the black mess around Marisa’s eyes.

“It smudged, and then I tried to wash it off, but it just got worse,” Marisa said. She shifted where she sat on the lid of the closed toilet, wrinkling her face at the feeling of wet cotton.

“You need makeup remover, honey,” Liv told her, showing her a blackened cotton ball before tossing it in the trash. “Also, this is a lot of eyeliner.”

“Katie did it for me,” she explained, as she watched Liv soak another cotton ball.

“It’s not safe to share eye makeup with other people. It’s got a lot of germs on it.”

“My dad wouldn’t buy me any eyeliner. He thinks it looks too chola.”

Liv winced at the term. “Your dad didn’t say that.”

“He basically did.” She closed her eyes to allow Liv to make a final pass over the last few streaks of black. “Can you tell him it’s normal for a fourteen year old to wear eyeliner?”

“Sweetheart, I can’t tell your dad what to do.”

“I believe in you, Liv,” she grinned, peeking through the wet lashes. 

“Okay, I see the smart mouth is hereditary.”

Rafa appeared in the doorway, probably wondering what was taking so long. He smiled softly at the image that Marisa and Liv made. “Risita, are you sassing Liv?”

“I can’t help it, Papi. It’s hereditary,” she laughed up at him, eyes finally clear of the mess they held before.

“And now you’re sassing me,” he concluded, then rested a hand on the crown of her head. “At least your face looks better. Are you ready?”

“Wait, wait,” Liv stopped him, jumping up and retrieving another two bottles from the cabinet. “Face wash. Lotion.”

Rafa sighed and headed back to the living room while Marisa started to wash her face. “See? He doesn’t understand girl stuff. You just have to give a little input. You’re basically my step-mom, anyway.”

Liv shook her head. “If he asks me for my input, I will give it to him.”

“Risita, it’s going to take almost fifteen minutes for an Uber to get here. If I call it now, will you be ready?” Rafael’s voice preceded him back to the bathroom doorway. He had his cell phone in hand, frowning at the screen. “Why is it surge pricing at four in the morning?”

Marisa splashed the soap off her face. “I thought we were going to stay here. I have all my stuff, and I just want to go to sleep.”

“You’ll sleep better in your bed, mija. Noah’s going to be up in a couple hours, anyway.”

Marisa started to pat her face dry with the bottom of her hoodie, and Liv handed her a towel. “But you said we have to be back here by eleven for lunch, anyway.”

“Marisa, I’m so tired. Please stop arguing with me.” He ran his hand over his face, but was outdone by his daughter, who started crying.

“But I’m tired, too,” she pleaded, the late hour and the stress of the night making her look and sound like a much younger child. “I don’t want to go back in a car. I just want to go to sleep.”

Rafa took her in his arms and comforted her, all the while shooting Liv annoyed looks that his daughter had no way of seeing. He mimed a vague question, and Liv just shrugged. She’d gotten to the point that she didn’t really care what Noah found out. She just wanted to get to bed herself.

* * *

Olivia slid underneath the sheets and felt herself go boneless as her head hit the pillow. If she was lucky, she had over two hours before Noah was going to be awake and begging for breakfast. That and peppering her with questions about why Marisa was sleeping on their couch. Rafa came back from the bathroom and got into bed. It felt strange, and then she realized that he hadn’t said anything to her.

“Good night,” she said.

“Good night.”

They lay there, staring at the ceiling, a good foot of space between them. Liv started to roll toward him, but a rustle from the living room distracted her. There was really no soundproofing in her apartment. She reached out her hand, but then thought better of it, and drew it back. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, and she looked blankly at the dresser across the room.

“Liv?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you feel awkward?”

“I feel very awkward.” She took a breath and tried to think her way through it. “But it’s not any different from having Noah in the next room.”

“Yeah, if Noah knew I was here and had any clue what sex was.”

“Thanks, Rafa, you just made it worse.”

She lay there for a few more moments, then stood up and grabbed her pillow.

“Wait, where are you going?” Rafa laughed. 

“I’m going to sleep in Noah’s room.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if this is ready, but I just was so tired of going back and forth on it. I hope you enjoy. Thank you everyone for your comments and for reading.

Liv crept down the hallway, but soon realized there wasn’t any point to keeping quiet. The pale flicker of a screen reflected off the wall opposite the entrance to the living room. As she walked toward it, the wall suddenly went black, and she crossed to the couch, only to find Marisa slack under a blanket, eyes closed in a very convincing impression of sleep.

“It’s okay, Izzy, I saw you on your phone.”

Marisa opened her eyes and let out an exasperated breath. “How do you notice _everything_?”

“I thought you said you wanted to sleep.”

“I can’t. I just keep thinking about everything.” She sat up and pulled the blanket closer around her, and Liv sat down on the other end of the couch.

“You know, this is the perfect time to call your mom,” she suggested, but Marisa shook her head.

“She’d want to know why I’m awake, and then she’d get mad about me staying here and calling you to pick me up and everything. I think she wants me to hate you.”

It sounded plausible, and Liv tried to think of something to say that wasn’t a complete falsehood. “I think she just misses you, and she wishes she got to spend as much time with you as I do.”

“Well, she’s the one who moved to Japan.”

“Things aren’t that simple.” 

“Would you move to Japan without Noah?” Marisa asked her, and Liv didn’t answer. She didn’t need to. Marisa pulled the blanket up and tucked her feet beneath it. “It’s pretty simple.”

“I know she wants to be with you, sweetheart,” Liv insisted, but Marisa just gave her a skeptical glance.

“My grandmother, my mom’s mom, used to say that men who wanted to be with their children married their children’s mothers, and mine didn’t even bother to live in the same state, but then my mom moved away, too, so I don’t know.”

Liv knew for a fact that part of the story wasn’t that simple, or at least Rafa’s version wasn’t. Marisa’s mother had left New York as soon as Rafa had told her he wasn’t ready to get married. He’d tried to convince her to come back, but she hadn’t budged, knowing that once the baby was born he’d be able to prevent them from moving back to California. Liv had no idea how much of the story Marisa had actually heard, or what version her mother had given her. She did know that she was sick of defending someone who spent a good portion of every conversation with her daughter making cutting comments about Rafael and Olivia’s relationship.

“Marisa, your mom loves you.”

“You don’t even know her,” Marisa snapped, then dropped her forehead into her hands. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

“No, it’s okay. You’re right. I don’t know her.”

“I don’t know why everyone acts like I’m not supposed to be mad at her, when obviously I have a really good reason.”

Vague platitudes were clearly not helping the situation, but Liv was helpless as to what else to say. She didn’t want to criticize Marisa’s mother, but she didn’t want to invalidate Marisa’s feelings, either. “Did you talk to your dad about this?”

“No, it makes it sound like I’m mad that I have to live with him.”

“That’s not what it sounds like to me,” Liv assured her, but Marisa shrugged off the comfort.

“It’s fine. It usually doesn’t bother me. I’m just really tired.”

“Okay,” Liv picked up Marisa’s phone from where it lay beside her on the couch. “I’m going to hold onto this so that you can get some sleep, but I’ll give it back to you in the morning. How does that sound?”

“Like you’re trying to act like I have a choice, but I don’t.”

Liv laughed. “Did you just roll your eyes at me?”

“Maybe,” Marisa said, then scooted down until her head was on the pillow. “Also, I’ve been thinking a lot about it, and if you and my dad want to get married earlier, I’m fine with it. You don’t have to wait until the summer. That way you don’t have to sneak around anymore.”

“Honey, your dad and I-” She stopped herself when she realized she had no clue what she wanted to say on the topic. “Sweet dreams, Izzy.”

“Night, Liv.”

* * *

It was a testament to how exhausted she was that Liv barely stirred when Noah woke. She felt him stretching beside her, squirming his way out of the blankets and to his knees, and she tried to ignore it.

“Mommy,” he whispered in her ear. “Wake up.”

“Noah, sweet boy, go back to sleep.” She gave his leg a soft pat and turned her face into the pillow.

“Okay, I’m going to get my truck.”

In her haze, it didn’t register that Noah didn’t need his truck to go back to bed, or that he was heading into the living room, where Marisa still slept on the couch. She was falling back into a light doze when Noah bounded back into the room, truck forgotten.

“Mom! Izzy had a sleepover!” His voice cut through her exhaustion, and she groaned.

“Noah, you’re too loud.”

“Izzy had a sleepover,” he stage whispered into her face, climbing back onto the bed to join her.

Liv tried to settle him back down, putting an arm around him and pulling him softly back to the pillow. “I know, honey. She’s very tired, so we need to be quiet.”

“Okay, I’m going to check if she’s asleep.” He twisted out of her embrace and started for the door again.

“Wait, come back here, sweet boy.” He faced her, expecting more, and she struggled to come up with something that would keep him in the room. “If you can stay here and rest for another ten minutes, I’ll make you smiley face pancakes, okay?”

Noah’s face shone with the excitement of his great fortune, and he scrambled quickly back into Liv’s arms. She kissed his curly hair and rubbed his back, knowing there was nothing she could do to get him back to sleep. It was almost seven thirty, and she had been lucky to get as much peace as she had.

* * *

The pan was heating as Liv mixed up the batter, when the clamor of Noah’s bare feet pounding toward the kitchen caught Liv’s attention. She dropped the whisk and knelt down in front of him, hands resting on his shoulders.

“Noah, remember what I said, we need to have quiet voices and calm bodies.”

“I am!” he exclaimed, indignant at the implied criticism, and Liv flinched at the volume.

“Why don’t you stay in the kitchen and help me?”

“Can I watch tv?” he asked, and Liv wavered. She’d been using Netflix as a babysitter a lot more than she wanted to, but it was just so easy. She knew it could keep him occupied and quiet for as long as she needed to get breakfast together, and it was probably the best way to keep him from waking up Rafa and Marisa.

“You can watch _one_ show on my iPad.”

“Okay, I’ll get it!” he shouted, and shot off toward her bedroom before she could change her mind.

“Noah, wait-” she called out after him, but it was too late. She heard his shout of excitement when he opened her bedroom door.

“Rafa, you had a sleepover, too?!”

Before Rafa could answer, or probably even fully awaken, Noah appeared back in the kitchen, breathless and glowing with what could possibly have been the best morning he could remember. Smiley face pancakes, Netflix, and _two_ surprise sleepovers. He was practically shaking with excitement.

“Mommy, Rafa’s in your bed!”

She heard movement from the couch and shushed him quickly. He didn’t seem to notice as he ran back into her room, and Liv focused on the pancakes, too tired to care about something that had just turned itself into Rafael’s problem.

She made enough for herself and Noah, then thought again and poured out a couple more for Rafa, the odds of him sleeping through Noah’s excitement slim to none. She put some bacon in the microwave and sipped her coffee as she waited for everything to finish.

After plating the last pancake, she made her way back to her bedroom, where she found Noah curled up against Rafa’s chest, watching some insipid and entirely too colorful cartoon. Rafa had his arm around Noah and was doing his best to seem interested in the program.

“Good morning,” she smiled at both of them, and Rafa looked back at her, grateful for the reprieve from whatever they were watching. She walked around to perch at the edge of the bed next to him, and he rested his hand on her thigh. “Breakfast is ready.”

Noah didn’t even look up. “I’m still watching.”

“We can finish it later, Noah,” Rafa told him, clicking off the iPad. “Go wash your hands. You don’t want your pancakes to get cold.”

Noah hurried off at the mention of pancakes, and Rafa used Liv’s distraction to reach out for the mug in her hand. When she didn’t let go, he shot her a pointed look.

“I just watched My Little Pony with your son. I get to drink your coffee.”

“Oh, are we having a ‘who did what for whose children’ competition?” she asked, but released the mug. Rafa took a sip and made a face.

“Also, I’m going to teach you how to make better coffee.”

“You don’t deserve my coffee.” She reached to take back her mug, but Rafa evaded her, setting it down out of her reach on the bedside table before coming back to put his hands at her waist.

“I don’t deserve you, but here we are.” He kissed her quickly, then smiled at her shiver as he slipped his hands under the hem of her shirt and ran the tips of his fingers across her skin.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” she warned him, and he chuckled at her.

“Who says I can’t finish?” he asked, then leaned in for another short kiss. Liv let him, then pulled apart just in time for Noah to careen into both of them, doing his best to crawl into both of their laps as he celebrated the excitement of the morning..

* * *

While Rafa washed dishes in the kitchen, Liv did her best to wipe the syrup from Noah’s face, hair, and clothes. She had a feeling that Rafa had volunteered for dish duty just to get a break from Noah’s energy, as well as poke around the kitchen in an attempt to make a more palatable version of the morning coffee. She also suspected he might be reading emails on his phone.

“Mom, next time we have a sleepover, I want Rafa to sleep in my bed.”

“We can talk about that next time,” she told him as she blotted the last of the syrup from his hands.

“And can Izzy and Rafa have smiley face pancakes, too?”

Liv smiled. Noah had been devastated that she hadn’t cooked an image of a smiling face into Rafa’s pancakes. “Maybe, if they want them.”

“I’m going to ask her,” he said as he started toward where Marisa was sleeping on the couch.

“Don’t wake her up, Noah.”

“I’m not. I’m just checking.”

He continued toward the couch, and Liv stood up to get him. He was leaning over, close into Marisa’s face, when she suddenly popped up and grabbed him with a startling sound that had Noah shrieking with delighted terror. “You tricked me!” he shouted, the commotion enough to bring Rafa out from the kitchen.

Marisa held tight as Noah struggled in her grip, laughing and pushing at her arms. When he realized he wasn’t making progress, he reached out to Rafael instead. “Rafa, save me!”

“Papi no puede salvarte,” Marisa grinned, and Noah redoubled his efforts.

“Rafa, sálvame!”

Rafa obliged, plucking Noah from his daughter’s arms, then promptly turned him upside down, eliciting another round of shrieks and struggles. Liv flinched as Noah’s heel barely missed Rafael’s nose.

“That looks like a great game for the park.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just couldn't finish writing this chapter, so I split it in two. The last chapter is shorter and shouldn't take so long. Thanks for your patience.

They strolled through the park, slowly wending their way toward Noah’s favorite playground. Noah held onto Liv and Rafa’s hands. Marisa walked beside them, playing on her phone until Rafa finally asked her to put it away. She slipped it into her pocket and held onto her father’s free arm.

“Papi, Liv says I’ll get germs if I share eyeliner with my friends, so can I get some just for myself?”

Liv wasn’t thrilled about being cited as a reference, but Rafa was adept enough to avoid falling into the trap of involving Liv in the conversation. “You don’t need to be wearing all that makeup, Marisa. You’re already pretty enough without it.”

“Liv wears makeup. Don’t you think she’s pretty enough without it?”

Liv held back a smile as Rafa threw his daughter a weighing glance. “¿Tratas de meterme en problemas?”

“Eres el único que puede meterte en problemas,” Marisa admonished him, complete with a pointed look and stern finger, and Liv laughed.

Marisa's head whipped around as she regarded Liv suspiciously. “I can never tell how much you understand.”

“More and more,” she answered, then tightened her hold on Noah’s hand as the playground came into view and he started to pull at her. “You’ve been giving me a lot of practice.”

“How come you never say anything?” she asked, and Liv shrugged.

“It doesn’t feel very natural for me.”

“Say something.” Marisa challenged her, and Rafa looked over, too, expectant and affectionate. Liv wanted to balk at it, but the beautiful day was putting her in an overly amenable mood. When Noah grinned up at her, she broke. 

“Usted tiene el derecho de permanecer callado. Si usted renuncia aquel derecho, entonces algo que usted diga puede ser usado en contra de usted en una corte,” she recited, and Rafael and his daughter both laughed. “That bad, huh?”

“No it was fine,” Marisa assured her. “I just thought you’d say ‘buenos días’ or something.”

“I can say something, too,” Noah piped up, tugging on her hand for her attention.

“Muy bien, vamos a escucharlo,” Rafa encouraged him.

“Una carrera a los columpios!” he shouted, then let go of the adults’ hands and bolted toward the playground. Marisa followed, carefully pacing him so that he reached the swingset a split second before she did. 

Rafa and Liv walked to the playground at a more leisurely pace, settling down on one of the benches situated around its edge. “His Spanish is getting good.”

“I know.” The dual language program that Lucia had recommended had been more effective than Liv had expected, and it didn’t hurt that Rafa and Marisa had been speaking Spanish with him sometimes, too. “Thanks for helping out with that.”

“You could speak Spanish, too,” he reminded her, and Liv shot him a mock glare. She was fine listening to the rest of them, but Rafa knew she hated speaking herself. The language felt awkward in her mouth, and she could rarely say exactly what she wanted.

“What’s the deal with the eyeliner?” She changed the subject to something in her own wheelhouse, and Rafa looked suitably annoyed.

“I just don’t like the idea of her poking at her eyes with a pencil.”

“Rafa!” She laughed. “She thinks you don’t like the way it looks.”

“I don’t,” he confessed. “I don’t like any of it. You saw her last night. It’s always a mess. She watches these YouTube tutorials and ends up looking like...” He trailed off before he said something that he knew Liv wouldn’t approve of.

“She has to experiment, or she’ll never know how.”

“And I’m fine with her experimenting with the blush or the lipstick, but I don’t want her experimenting with poking at her eye with a pencil,” he insisted as if it were the most logical thing in the world, and she just shook her head in amusement. “Don’t look at me like that. Last time we went to the store she couldn’t even tell me whether she wanted the pen or the pencil or that other one.”

“So you bought nothing?”

He looked away and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Stop judging me. She has a whole drawer of makeup that doesn’t look good on her.”

“I think I can help you with that,” she said, putting her hand over her his and turning him back to face her. He wasn’t so easily appeased, though, shooting her a resentful glare before sizing her up.

“Ask me in Spanish,” he said, and Liv rolled her eyes at him. She should have known better than to think he would have just let it go. He smiled at her reaction and leaned in closer. “Quiero oírte hablar español.”

“Quiero ayudarte,” she finally replied, and his face lit up. It was almost worth it, but she always felt a little patronized by his encouragement.

“¿Cómo vas a ayudarme?” His voice was slow and deliberate, and he smiled in anticipation of her answer.

“Compraré maquillaje a tu hija.” She tried to find the words for what she actually wanted to say but finally gave up and finished with words she knew. “Mejor maquillaje.”

He grinned and kissed her. It was sometimes overwhelming how he looked at her, all open affection and delight. She distanced herself from it and watched Marisa push Noah on the swings. “You’re laughing at me again.”

“No, you just make me so happy.”

* * *

As she dropped a particularly garish shade of lipstick into the plastic bag in her lap, Liv kept an ear out for Noah and Rafael’s conversation. Noah had been “helping” Rafa with dinner, which mainly consisted of running around and guessing what Rafa was asking him for in Spanish.

“Okay, one more,” Liv prompted, and Marisa scanned the assortment of makeup that they’d pulled from her desk drawer. The glitter gel had been declared off limits, and Liv had already taken the most atrocious items from the pile. Her eyes fell on a powder compact that was completely the wrong shade. “How about this one?”

Marisa wrinkled her nose at it. “Yeah, Riley gave it to me, but I’m too brown for it.”

“You’re not too brown, sweetheart. The makeup is too light.”

“That’s basically saying the same thing.”

Not wanting to get caught up in semantics, Liv ignored the comment and swept the compact into the bag, already heavy with makeup that hadn’t made the cut. “So you’re good with makeup now? You’re not going to get any more for a while?”

“Yeah, I guess.” She starting putting the makeup that she’d kept back into her drawer.

“I’m going to need a better answer.”

Marisa rolled her eyes but spoke again, loud enough that Rafa could hear her from the kitchen. “Okay, Liv, I’m not going to get any more makeup for a while.”

Liv used her fingers to comb the hair back from Marisa’s face, looking over her work from earlier. “You look really pretty.”

“Thanks, I’m going to go post it,” she said, reaching for her phone. 

Liv took her bag to the kitchen, where Noah was standing on the step stool with a dish towel, laughing over a language barrier that appeared more and more likely to be intentional.

“Eso es un trapo. Necesito la sal,” Rafa said to him, and Noah just giggled and reached over to pick up a banana from the counter. Rafa sighed and grabbed the salt for himself. Liv waited until she caught his attention, then conspicuously dumped the contents of her bag into the kitchen trash. Rafa’s jaw dropped as the various lipsticks, powers and creams clattered to the bottom of the bin. “How did you do that?”

“I bought her new stuff, and we traded.”

“I have never been more in love with you.” Rafa kept stirring at the pan with one hand, but pulled Liv over for a kiss with the other. He spoke under his breath so that Noah couldn’t hear. “How would you feel about Marisa watching Noah tonight after dinner? Two birds, one stone?”

She hesitated. She’d never left Noah with a babysitter so young before, but Marisa seemed responsible, and she knew his routines. “Yeah, I guess so. But where are we going? Should I change?”

Rafa kissed her. “We can stop by your place.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it is finished. Thank you everyone for reading and sharing your feedback. I have a couple little one-shots in mind for this universe, but not anything big. If you have any prompts, please share them. Right now, my brain is in the Carisi/Rolllins AU that's been poking at me recently, but I'm down to play around here, too, when I can.

Olivia dropped her keys on the table next to her apartment door. “You still haven’t told me where you want to go.”

He followed her in, closing the door behind him, but still didn’t give her an answer. When she turned around to ask again, he was eyeing her, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. She was edging toward irritation when he hooked his fingers into her waistband and tugged her toward him. She laughed incredulously at his audacity.

“This is your plan? Marisa babysits Noah so one of our apartments is empty?”

He didn’t respond, just let his fingers run up her waist, tugging at her shirt until he could slip his hands underneath it. He pulled at her until the space between them disappeared. “You don’t approve?” 

“Rafa…” She rolled her eyes and turned her head to the side, and he used the opportunity to lay a trail of kisses down her neck, as his fingers drifted further up her torso. He began to suck lightly at the side of her jaw, and she tilted her head into it, squirming at the sensation. Goosebumps rose on her arms as she felt his warm breath in her ear.

“How about now? Do you approve now?”

His teeth caught at her earlobe and she squeezed her eyes tight. “Okay, okay. I approve.” 

“Hmm, I don’t think you quite appreciate the brilliance of my plan,” he murmured into her neck.

“I’m getting there.”

He moved them to the couch, where he sat, taking Liv with him. His hands continued to roam until he caught at the hem of her shirt and started to drag it above her head. Just as she was lifting her arms to allow it, her phone buzzed in her pocket. 

“Wait, wait.” Her shirt fell back down as she retrieved her phone. “It’s your daughter.”

Rafa ran his hands through his hair and clutched the at the back of his head. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Liv accepted the call and greeted Rafa’s daughter warmly, even as he looked like he was ready to throw the phone through the window. She could hear cartoons in the background as Marisa spoke. “Noah wants me to paint his nails. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine, honey. Just be careful he doesn’t get it everywhere.” She shot Rafa an encouraging smile.

“Okay, and can he only watch the kids section of Netflix, or if there’s something else appropriate, is that okay, too?”

“As long as it’s still G-rated,” she said, right as Rafa grabbed the phone from her hand and put it to his own ear.

“Risita, we trust you to make good choices on your own. We’ll be back in a few hours. Te queremos.” He barely waited for her response before ending the call.

“Rafa!” Liv tried to admonish him, but just ended up laughing as he tossed her phone on the coffee table. “You know, your daughter’s right. You’re sneaking around.”

“We can still go out if you want. I just thought with both the kids away...”

His hands had found their way up the back of her shirt, and his fingers teased at the elastic of her bra. She leaned down to kiss him. “No, this is good.”

* * *

Rafa was tracing patterns on her upper arm as they lazed in bed together, enjoying the quiet of the otherwise empty apartment. Liv estimated they had about half an hour left before they needed to leave, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at the time. She hooked a leg around one of his and scooted in closer.

“I don’t want to keep doing this,” Rafa said, and she looked at him askance, pulling slightly away. He realized where her mind had gone and brought her back to him. “This, yes, I definitely want to keep doing this.”

As if to prove his point, he rolled even closer in, until he was almost on top of her. He was biting at his lip as he considered her, and she wondered whether she was going to have to drag his thoughts from him.

“I don’t want to keep scrounging for little bits of time,” he finally explained. She waited for him to say more, but he he kept the rest of his thoughts to himself and instead ghosted the tips of his fingers at the side of her face and jaw.

“I’m enjoying myself,” she said with a self conscious smile. When he didn’t reciprocate, she pushed herself up and sat back against the headboard, driving him up as well. “Rafael, if you’re not happy-”

“I am!” For a man whose trade was in words, he seemed at a loss to express himself, and alarmed at where the conversation was heading. He took a breath and started again. “I want more of it, though. I want what we had today. I want mornings and weeknights. I don’t want to have to plan out the logistics of us seeing each other.”

“Are you saying you want to move in together?”

“I’m saying I want to get married.” At his words, Liv was suddenly aware of the rushing of blood in her ears, and she wasn’t sure how she felt, other than that it was a strong reaction. They’d talked about getting married before, but it had seemed like an abstract possibility. Rafa’s words made the reality of marriage abruptly concrete, and much more immediate. She knew what her face must look like, both from the incoherent thought buzzing in her head and Rafa’s anxious reaction to her expression. “I know it’s faster than we talked about, but I don’t want to wait anymore.”

“It’s a big change,” she finally said.

“It’s a good change, Liv. Every time I’m in my apartment and you’re in yours, it feels like a waste. We could have that time together.”

He was right, of course. Living apart was a waste of time and money. Logistically, it made a lot of sense, and she struggled to think of why she was hesitating. “What about the kids?”

“They want it, too. You saw them today.” Rafa’s expression was quickly shifting from anxious to hurt, and Liv wanted to do something about it. Instead, she watched helplessly as he rubbed a hand across his mouth. “I’m sorry. I thought it was what you wanted.”

She did want it, she realized, just not quite the way that it was happening. “It’s not that I don’t want it, Rafa. It’s that I don’t think logistical challenges to sleeping together are a good enough reason to take such a big step.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He protested, then changed tactics, brushing her hair back from her face and kissing at the corner of her mouth. “Liv, mi amor, that’s not what I meant.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t ‘mi amor’ me like that’s going to help.”

Rafa apparently took the warning as an invitation and took her face in his hands, gracing her with an impish grin before murmuring, “Olivia, mi amor, no puedo imaginar un futuro sin ti. Te quiero. Te amo. Por favor, acepta casarte conmigo.”

She could never tell whether the Spanish made him more demonstrative, or the emotions brought out the Spanish. Maybe a little of both. With him so open and hopeful before, her, though, she found it impossible to muster up any irritation.

“How soon are you thinking?” she asked, and he relaxed, confident that he’d turned her.

“New York has a one day waiting period, so…” She laughed and swatted at his arm, and he smiled at her, affectionate and sweet. “I want to wake up Christmas morning in our bed, in our apartment, with our kids.”

She considered it. Mid-December would give them a couple of months to find a place to live and work out the rest of the details. “You’re very persuasive.”

“I don’t want to persuade you, Liv. I want you to want it as much as I do.”

“I do want it. I want to do it right, though.”

“The right thing is for us to be together. Everything else is just details.” 

The Rafa that Liv knew thrived on details, on getting things exactly right. He didn’t make split second, life changing decisions. Or at least he didn’t before her. She knew he hadn’t thought it through. She could see it in his face, reckless with emotion and waiting for her to take a leap with him.

“Okay,” she agreed.

“Okay?”

She nodded slowly and found herself smiling at the surreal nature of it all. “Yes, okay, let’s get married on some unspecified date before Christmas.” 

He was giddy as he kissed her, his fingers entwined in her hair. “I feel like I should have a ring or something.”

“Wow, Rafa.” She laughed at him and turned away.

“I did it wrong, didn’t I?” He was still behind her, kissing lightly at the side her neck and shoulder until he pulled her back toward him and grinned. “Can I get a do-over?”

“No, there’s no take-backs.” She shook her head at him and tried unsuccessfully to clamp down on a smile.

“I don’t want to take it back. I want to do it over and over.” He shifted until they faced each other directly, brightened and emboldened by her earlier agreement. “Marry me. Marry me. Marry me.”

“I’ve already said yes,” she reminded him, and he shook his head, so open and adoring that Liv’s breath caught.

“I want you to say it again. And again and again.”

Whatever clever retort had been on the tip of her tongue escaped her, and she could only stare back into his eyes, floating on the emotions that washed over her. “I think I might be able to do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the fic. The next chapter is an epilogue because a couple people asked for Noah and Marisa's reactions.


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple people asked for Noah and Marisa's reactions, so here they are. Noah's was already published as a comment.

**Olivia & Noah**

Liv sat across from Noah, slowly poking at her own ice cream as he dug into his.

“Noah, I have something really important to talk to you about, and however you feel about it is okay. I just want to know the whole truth about how you feel, okay?”

He didn’t pay her much attention as he tried to fit a heaping spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. A good portion of it ended up smeared on his face, instead. “Okay.”

“So, I was thinking, what if we moved into a different apartment that’s bigger than this one, and then Rafa and Marisa could live there, too?”

Noah’s eyes went wide and his jaw dropped, ice cream forgotten. “Yeah! That’s a really good idea, Mom.”

It seemed way too easy, and Liv went on to explain in more detail.

“So, we’d all live together all the time in the new apartment. Rafa and I would be married, and the four of us would be a family together.”

“So you and Rafa would be the mom and dad, and me and Izzy would be the brother and sister?” His brow was furrowed as he turned the scenario over in his head.

“Something like that, yes. Is that something you have questions about?”

He nodded. “Can Izzy and I have bunk beds?”

“Izzy and you would each have your own bedroom, honey, but you can have bunk beds if you want in your room.”

Noah chewed on his lip and considered the offer, probably realizing that this was a rare window of opportunity to make demands. “With Avengers sheets?”

“Yes, you can have bunk beds with Avengers sheets in the new apartment.”

He nodded, satisfied, and picked the spoon back up. “Yeah, it’s a really good idea.”

* * *

**Rafael & Marisa**

 

Rafael was a wreck in the Uber back home, trying to think of how he should break the news to his daughter. It shouldn’t be hard. Risita had told him often enough in the past month how she was ready for him to get married, that they didn’t need to wait until summer, that she didn’t want to put anything else up in her room because she knew they’d be moving soon.

“Papi, you’re acting really weird,” she said, eying him from the other side of the car. He shot her a disapproving look, but she just returned it. “Well, you _are_. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just ready to get home. Neither of us got enough sleep last night.”

“Okay,” she said, but he knew he’d rattled her. He mentally kicked himself for setting an awkward tone. 

The rode the rest of the way in silence, with Risita sneaking quick glances at him when she thought she wouldn’t be caught. Rafael tried to ignore it and act normal, which was probably one of the most counterproductive choices he could have made. By the time they reached their building, Risita had scratched the polish off of two of her nails and was picking at a third. For once he wished she’d pull out her phone and start playing some insipid game.

They made their way to the elevator and rode up to their floor. He unlocked the door and let her in first before stepping in himself and bolting it shut behind him. “Before you go to bed, I did want to talk to you about something.”

He turned around just to see his daughter’s face crumple. Rafael panicked and did the only thing he could think of, which was pull her into his chest.

“What’s the matter?” He racked his brain for what possibly could have caused the reaction. He hadn’t even said anything to her.

“I don’t know. I just know you’re going to tell me something bad.”

“It’s not bad, mija.” Rafi rubbed his hand up and down her back. He’d intended to work up to it, but under the circumstances he just blurted out the truth. “I asked Liv to marry me, and she said yes.”

Risita’s breath hitched as her body’s reaction slowly caught up the the information that her brain was processing. She stepped back, staring at him with a mixture of hurt and resentment. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I did tell you, sweetheart. I was just waiting until we had some space to talk about it.”

“You should have told me at Liv’s house so I could have seen the ring.”

“There’s no ring yet.” He pinched his nose, mentally rolling his eyes at her priorities.

“You proposed to her without a ring?” The stare she leveled at him was pure indictment for idiocy. “Papi, you have to have a ring. That’s the whole point.”

“The whole point, señorita sabelotodo, is that Liv and I are planning to get married and I want to give you a chance to talk about anything you might be feeling about that.”

“I already told you I was fine with it.” She seemed irritated with the implication that she might have a problem with the engagement, and quickly changed the subject back to criticism of her father. “You should have told me so I could have helped you. The proposal is supposed to be exciting and romantic, and you were probably just like, ‘Oh, look, a work email. Do you want to get married, because I need to put it in Google Calendar.’” 

Rafael wasn’t a fan of the tone, and he stared his daughter down until he had her subdued attention. “Is this attitude your way of coping with uncomfortable feelings, or are you being disrespectful for no reason?”

She squirmed under his gaze, then shrugged. Rafi softened his expression before asking, “Do you have any questions?”

“Can I help you pick out the ring?” she asked, peering up hopefully.

“No.” Liv and he already had plans to look for rings in the coming week, and he knew better than to bring his daughter in on the process.

“Can I help pick out the new apartment?”

“You can have a chance to share your opinion, but Liv and I will make the final decision.”

“If you and Liv disagree, can I be the tiebreaker?”

“No,” Rafi laughed. “And that’s a blanket ‘no’ for that ever happening, for any major decision.”

“Once you’re married, can I ask Liv for permission for things sometimes, instead of asking you?”

Marisa’s expression held a mischievous edge, and he eyed her suspiciously. “Are these ‘things’ that you think she’d be more amenable to?”

“Just girl stuff,” she replied, overly casual and self-satisfied. 

Rafael pulled his daughter into a hug, letting his cheek rest on the top of her head. “You really like her, don’t you?”

“She’s super nice and she’s a bad-ass at the same time. It’s kind of a rare combination.”

“So you’re all in?”

“All in,” she confirmed, and Rafi held on tighter.


End file.
